Damaging Wind in Arkansas, July 20, 2003

Name: Damaging Wind in Arkansas, July 20, 2003
Start: 2003-07-20T20:18
End: 2003-07-20T20:18
Location: Arkansas

July 20, 2003 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 20, 2:25 PM CST, 5 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 2:25 PM CST, 5 hours 53 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
325 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

ISOLATED SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER NORTHWESTERN...SOUTHWESTERN AND
SOUTHEASTERN SECTIONS BUT THE REST REMAIN DRY. HIGHER MEAN RH MONDAY
WILL LIKELY BRING BETTER CHANCES OF RAIN OVER MOST AREAS. AN INCREASE
IN CLOUDS WILL REDUCE THE INSOLATION AND THUS HEAT INDICES WILL BE
LOWER OVER MOST AREAS ON MONDAY AND AN ADVISORY WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE TUESDAY AS A NEW COLD
FRONT WILL BE APPROACHING THEN.

FCSTID =   38
HRO   73  92  68  85 /  30  30  30  50
LIT   76  93  72  89 /  30  30  30  50
HOT   76  94  72  89 /  30  30  30  50
PBF   77  94  74  91 /  30  30  30  50

.LZK...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 20, 4:02 PM CST, 4 hours 16 minutes before

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-211000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
502 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI THIS
EVENING...WITH MUCH OF THE ACTIVITY THEN PUSHING INTO NORTHERN
ARKANSAS. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
TONIGHT OVER ABOUT THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE. DAMAGING WINDS
WILL BE THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...BUT THERE COULD BE SOME
LARGE HAIL AS WELL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE REMAINS OF TONIGHTS STORMS WILL PROBABLY STILL BE OCCURRING OVER
PARTS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS MONDAY MORNING. THEN...DURING
THE DAY MONDAY...ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN
ASSOCIATION WITH A COLD FRONT NEAR THE MISSOURI BORDER. THESE NEW
STORMS COULD FORM INTO A LINE AS THEY DROP TOWARD THE SOUTH. THERE
WILL BE A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN MOST SECTIONS OF
THE STATE MONDAY. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND
THERE WILL BE A SECONDARY THREAT OF LARGE HAIL. MOST OF THE ACTIVITY
IS LIKELY TO MOVE SOUTH OF ARKANSAS BY EVENING.

ON TUESDAY...THE COLD FRONT WILL BE MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE
STATE. THIS WILL RESULT IN ANOTHER SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED MONDAY AND AGAIN TUESDAY.

28

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 20, 6:57 PM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
757 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0649 PM    OAKLAND                   AR   .75 INCH HAIL
07/20/03   MARION                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0710 PM    4 N MIDWAY                AR   WIND DAMAGE
07/20/03   BAXTER                         TREE DOWN ON HIGHWAY 5.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0720 PM    NORFORK                   AR   WIND DAMAGE
07/20/03   BAXTER                         POWER LINES DOWN. REPORTED
                                          BY FIRE DEPT.

28

Local storm report, Jul 20, 7:23 PM CST, 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
823 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0725 PM    CLARKRIDGE                AR   WIND DAMAGE
07/20/03   BAXTER                         TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT

0730 PM    HENDERSON                 AR   WIND DAMAGE
07/20/03   BAXTER                         TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT

0730 PM    GAMALIEL                  AR   WIND DAMAGE
07/20/03   BAXTER                         TREES DOWN...INCLUDING
                                          SOME ON HIGHWAY 101.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

28

Local storm report, Jul 20, 7:40 PM CST, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
840 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0805 PM    1 W GEPP                  AR   WIND DAMAGE
07/20/03   FULTON                         TREE DOWN ON A POWER LINE.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

28

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 152 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:18 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sharp

When: July 20, 8:18 PM CST
Where: Sharp County, 2 mi N of Evening Shade
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.100, -91.617

A large tree was blown down onto U.S. Highway 167.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, July 2003

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5329567.